At five o'clock in the afternoon, the evening party of the New Year's Eve dinner officially began to welcome guests!
Xiyuan Restaurant had already been renovated. The crystal chandeliers in the hall shone brightly, and figures floated inside. The dusk marked the beginning of the feast.
Most of the people who came out to eat today were families of all ages. They were all dressed up carefully. The elderly wore auspicious Tang suits, and the children wore red dresses. There were laughter and joy everywhere, and the atmosphere was full of festivity.
The kitchen was filled with smoke and bustling with activity, a scene of sheer activity.
Ye Tian's first pot of preserved pork with preserved vegetables was already waiting to be served. Because they needed to serve two rounds of guests that evening, and they needed to turn over tables once in between, the kitchen would prepare another pot for the second batch of guests to accommodate their meal times and ensure the freshness of the dishes.
Sous Chef Yu considered making the second pot himself. After the Lunar New Year, Ye Tian would start school, and the inconsistent flavors of the restaurant's preserved pork with preserved vegetables wouldn't be conducive to maintaining its reputation for consistency. But then he thought better of it. He decided to make it a special New Year's Eve dinner, a limited-edition version.
So, Ye Tian started cooking a second pot of preserved pork with preserved vegetables. While waiting for the dish to slowly cook, she started working with the other chefs.
To ensure the dishes were ready on time, nearly all the chefs worked together to prepare the ingredients and side dishes in advance. This made it much easier to start cooking once customers arrived. As a result, the usual kitchen assistants also joined in the cooking, including Daxiong, who was primarily responsible for frying the squirrel mandarin fish.
The squirrel mandarin fish, with its attractive presentation and in line with the "Year After Year of Abundance" theme, is a staple dish in New Year's Eve dinner sets. This dish requires skilled knife skills to first carve the fish into shape—typically 36 cuts—before deep-frying it to resemble a squirrel's tail. The fish should also resemble a carp leaping over the dragon gate for added auspiciousness. Poor knife skills can result in an unsightly, flattened shape.
Chef Xiao Zhang had returned temporarily, taking charge of cutting and plating the cold dishes. Chen Chi glanced at him when he entered, and he shuddered. He truly realized that the boss could fire him with a single word, and Chef Xu might not be able to speak for him.
"Table 18, the food is served!"
"Table 20, get an extra serving of Spring Festival dumplings!"
"Dessert time! Prepare six servings of mango sago!"
"Huzhou room plus a freshly squeezed orange juice!"
…
Various sounds come and go. For the customers, it is a festive sonata, but for the staff in the kitchen, it is a real sweat.
This is the time when everyone greets their relatives and grabs red envelopes in the group, but they have no time to look at their phones. They can only greet their relatives in advance or wait until they finish work to call their families.
…
"Jinling House is a friend of the boss. They set their own menu, and asked me to make several dishes myself. The abalone braised pork, crab meat lion head, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall are all ready-made, so you can just put them on the plate and serve them first. I will make the caviar drunken crab pomegranate buns, Wensi tofu, and soft pockets. The pickled pork with preserved vegetables and small leaves are also ready. The golden vegetarian spring rolls and cold dishes are left to you, Xiao Zhang!" Deputy Chef Yu made the arrangements one by one.
Chef Zhang's ability is still there. He doesn't dare to let down at critical moments. His attitude has also become more serious, and he completely obeys the arrangements of the deputy chef.
Chen Chi took the initiative to go to Jinling Room to serve dishes and be responsible for beverage service, mainly to greet the elders and wish them a happy new year.
"Xiao Chi, why are you here serving dishes?" The old man sitting in the main seat of the room recognized Chen Chi at once.
"Hello, Grandpa Lu, Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, all the brothers and sisters, Happy New Year! Welcome! My dad and second uncle sent me here to help. They are in charge of the main store. If you have any needs, just tell me. I guarantee that you will have a good meal today!" Chen Chi was very polite.
As soon as Chen Chi returned, he saw that something was wrong with Old Yu who was cutting tofu.
He did suddenly feel dizzy. Although he is not yet 50 years old, his blood pressure has always been high. Occasionally, when he gets busy and forgets to take his antihypertensive drugs, he will experience symptoms such as chest tightness and dizziness.
Old Yu didn't dare to joke with his own body. Chen Chi and Da Xiong helped him to rest outside for a while. Only then did he feel a little better. So he asked Da Xiong to go back quickly and asked Ye Tian to come over.
"Xiao Ye, I'm going to give you the unfinished Wensi tofu and soft-shelled eel. Have you made them?" Lao Yu was a little worried.
"Leave it to me, don't worry, I have no problem." When it comes to cooking, Ye Tian always agrees straightforwardly.
Chen Chi next to him was also very confident in Ye Tian.
"Okay, good girl, I'll leave it to you then!" Old Yu looked at the girl in front of him, her nose slightly beaded with sweat, her eyes sparkling. At this moment, he felt a sense of pride and vicissitudes of life, as if he had seen a young person surpass her father.
Wensi Tofu's main test is knife skills. Slicing soft tofu into tiny strands is not something most people can do, but of course this is not a problem for Ye Tian. Not to mention hair-thin tofu, she can even slice tofu pudding into shreds.
Long fish is an eel, a Huaiyang specialty and the first course at state banquets, earning it unrivaled popularity. When the eel is prepared, pick it up with chopsticks, and its ends droop downward, like a child's bellyband. This allows you to hold it with a spoon while eating, hence the name "soft-belted long fish."
The eel cooked by a skilled chef has a shiny body, firm and tender meat, and is very tasty. It is also very suitable to be eaten with rice.
A defining characteristic of Ye Tian's cooking is her refusal to use MSG, yet she possesses her own unique way of enhancing flavor. Even without it, her dishes like preserved preserved vegetables with preserved vegetables, soft-shelled eel, and Wensi tofu retain their savory flavor, leaving them feeling more like nature and leaving a lasting impression.
"Xiao Chi, there are some very good dishes today, but I feel they are not the work of Chef Yu!" Mr. Lu from the Jinling Room called Chen Chi.
"Huh?" Chen Chi instantly understood what Grandpa Lu had tasted. "Yes, the first few signature dishes were made by Uncle Yu, but he's been very busy today and a little unwell, so we asked him to rest for a while, so a few dishes were made by other chefs."
"Oh, then could you please ask the chef to blanch some shredded chicken for us?" Mr. Lu looked at Chen Chi with a smile, seeming to be very satisfied with the dish.
"Okay, I'll go talk to her right away." Chen Chi naturally agreed.
"Sister Ye, the guests in Jinling Room need to add a large portion of braised dried bean curd with chicken sauce. Look..." Chen Chi saw beads of sweat on Ye Tian's forehead and wanted to reach out to wipe them for her.
"Okay, I've just finished cooking the other dishes." Ye Tian casually wiped the sweat off her face with a towel. Then, after washing her hands, she took the dried tofu from Da Xiong and began to chop it. Her movements were quick and steady, and after a busy day, she remained energetic, showing no sign of fatigue.
Chen Chi carefully placed the boiled dried bean curd strips on the table, gently turned the turntable, and stopped when the dish reached Mr. Lu's position.
Mr. Lu leaned forward, looked at the dish carefully, then picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of food and put it into his mouth to taste it carefully.
"You try it too!" After he tasted it, his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren started eating.
"Alas, the best thing in life is simple happiness!" Old Mr. Lu took the half bowl of soup and dried bean curd sheets served by his eldest son, his mind seemed to be drifting far away.
The son knew his father was thinking of his deceased wife, their mother, whose name was Qing Huan. Her favorite dish when she was alive was this large boiled dried bean curd. So, they rarely ordered it at meals, fearing it would stir up his father's memories.
"Xiao Chi, I'm really a little... Can I meet this chef?" Mr. Lu looked at Chen Chi, and there seemed to be tears in the corners of his eyes.
Chen Chi couldn't refuse at the moment, so he had to go to the kitchen to ask Ye Tian's opinion to see if she was willing to come out.
"Why? Is there something wrong with the dish I cooked? Or is it just too delicious?" Ye Tian joked. She was still confident in her cooking.
"What you cook must be delicious. I feel that the old man tasted the nostalgic flavor from your food." Chen Chi's words became more emotional.
It was around 9 o'clock in the evening and the guests in the restaurant began to leave slowly. Ye Tian had no more menus to prepare, so she greeted Deputy Chef Yu and then went to the Jinling Room with Chen Chi.
The guests inside didn't expect that the person who came in was a little girl in ordinary chef's uniform. She was about the same age as Chen Chi and looked even younger than Mr. Lu's granddaughter.
They looked at Chen Chi curiously, meaning, "Is this today's chef?"
"Grandpa Lu, this is Chef Ye Tian who is in charge of the pickled pork with preserved vegetables, boiled dried bean curd strips, Wensi tofu and soft-shelled eel for your table today. Don't underestimate her young age, but her cooking skills are very high. She is just temporarily interning in our store, and school will start after the New Year... after the New Year! In fact, she is my college classmate, and she had been studying cooking for 10 years before going to college." Chen Chi introduced her proudly, and finally told the truth.
Ye Tian thought Xiao Chizi was a little funny, as if he was bragging for her. "Hello everyone, it's not as exaggerated as he said. Thank you for liking my cooking. I'm just an ordinary chef, I just love this job."
"Little girl, do you know why I like the food you cook?" Mr. Lu looked at Ye Tian with a smile.
Ye Tian was also stunned by the question and replied, "Is it because of the original flavor?"
"That's one reason. I don't know if it's because I'm getting old and overthinking things, but I seem to have tasted emotion in the food, which reminded me of many things in the past. Thank you, Xiaoye, right? I'll remember you! If you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to me."
"Thank you for your affirmation. I hope I will have the opportunity to cook for you in the future." Ye Tian is not the type who is good at socializing, but she can tell that what the old man said to her came from the heart.
"Good boy!" Mr. Lu nodded again.
"By the way, ask the waiter to pack it up and don't waste the remaining dishes!" Old Lu said to the younger generation when he saw that the meat on the table had not been finished.
Ye Tian felt a natural affinity for the old man. Furthermore, she liked people who cherished food, so she had a better impression of him.
Maybe, this is the fate between people!
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